Antenna apparatus

Abstract

The present invention relate to an antenna apparatus, and more particularly, to an antenna apparatus including an antenna housing part formed in a form of an enclosure opened at a front side thereof, a board assembly disposed to be tightly attached to an internal space defined by the antenna housing part, and a plurality of antenna RF modules arranged on a front surface of the board assembly, in which the antenna housing part is divided into at least three components, and the components are manufactured and then coupled to one another to prevent distortion caused by thermal stress between upper and lower ends due to a difference in heat generation amount between heating elements mounted on the board assembly, thereby preventing the antenna housing part from being distorted by thermal stress caused by imbalance of heat generated from the heating elements, and solving a PIMD problem by preventing an unintended movement and clearance of the internal antenna RF modules.

1 . An antenna apparatus comprising:
 an antenna housing part formed in a form of an enclosure opened at a front side thereof;   a board assembly disposed to be tightly attached to an internal space defined by the antenna housing part; and   a plurality of antenna RF modules arranged on a front surface of the board assembly,   wherein the antenna housing part is divided into at least three components, and the components are manufactured and then coupled to one another to prevent distortion caused by thermal stress between upper and lower ends due to a difference in heat generation amount between heating elements mounted on the board assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the antenna housing part is formed such that a length of a vertical side is at least longer than a length of a horizontal side by a predetermined ratio or higher. 
     
     
         3 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the antenna housing part comprises:
 a center heat sink panel configured to define an external appearance of an intermediate portion of a rear surface of the antenna apparatus;   an upper heat sink panel coupled to an upper portion of the center heat sink panel and configured to define an external appearance of an upper portion of the rear surface of the antenna apparatus; and   a lower heat sink panel coupled to a lower portion of the center heat sink panel and configured to define an external appearance of a lower portion of the rear surface of the antenna apparatus, and   wherein the center heat sink panel, the upper heat sink panel, and the lower heat sink panel are each formed such that a length of a vertical side is at least longer than a length of a horizontal side.   
     
     
         4 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein an upper coupling flange and a lower coupling flange, which have a plurality of screw through-holes for screw assembling with the upper heat sink panel and the lower heat sink panel, are provided at upper and lower ends of the center heat sink panel, and
 wherein the upper coupling flange and the lower coupling flange of the center heat sink panel are coupled to each other by using a plurality of assembling screws in a state in which the upper coupling flange and the lower coupling flange of the center heat sink panel are in contact with a lower end of a rear surface of the upper heat sink panel and an upper end of a rear surface of the lower heat sink panel.   
     
     
         5 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the upper coupling flange and the lower coupling flange of the center heat sink panel are disposed to respectively overlap the lower end of the rear surface of the upper heat sink panel and the upper end of the rear surface of the lower heat sink panel in a forward/rearward direction and positioned relatively forward of the lower end of the rear surface of the upper heat sink panel and the upper end of the rear surface of the lower heat sink panel. 
     
     
         6 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the upper coupling flange and the lower coupling flange of the center heat sink panel are disposed to be respectively recessed toward the inside of the lower end of the rear surface of the upper heat sink panel and the inside of the upper end of the rear surface of the lower heat sink panel. 
     
     
         7 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein a coupling portion between the center heat sink panel and the upper heat sink panel and a coupling portion between the center heat sink panel and the lower heat sink panel are subjected to waterproof treatment. 
     
     
         8 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of antenna RF modules has a plurality of unit RF filter bodies disposed side by side in several rows or several columns in a vertical upward/downward direction (hereinafter, referred to as a ‘V-direction’) and a horizontal leftward/rightward direction (hereinafter, referred to as an ‘H-direction’), and
 wherein the antenna apparatus further comprises a plurality of fixing members configured to mediate fixing of the antenna RF module to the antenna housing part. 
 
     
     
         9 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of fixing members comprises:
 a horizontal fixing bar configured to provide module fixing screw holes to which the plurality of unit RF filter bodies is fixed in a screw coupling manner; and   a plurality of fixing legs extending rearward from the horizontal fixing bar and each having a rear end fixed to a front surface of the antenna housing part or the board assembly.   
     
     
         10 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein one side fixing leg and the other side fixing leg, which are formed at two opposite ends among the plurality of fixing legs, are fixed, in a screw coupling manner, to an edge mounting block provided on an inner edge portion of the antenna housing part, and
 wherein a center fixing leg, which is formed between one side fixing leg and the other side fixing leg among the plurality of fixing legs, is fixed, in a screw coupling manner, to a board mounting block provided on the front surface of the board assembly.   
     
     
         11 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the plurality of antenna RF modules comprises:
 the unit RF filter body;   a plurality of radiating element modules provided to protrude toward a front side of the unit RF filter body; and   a reflector panel integrally formed at a front end of the unit RF filter body so as to have a larger area than a front surface of the unit RF filter body and configured to reflect radio waves, which are radiated from the plurality of radiating element modules, forward, and   wherein the plurality of antenna RF modules is fixed by an operation of fastening a filter fixing screw, which is formed through the reflector panel from a front side to a rear side, to a module fixing screw hole of the horizontal fixing bar provided at a rear side of the reflector panel.   
     
     
         12 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of antenna RF modules further comprises:
 an amplification element part provided on any one of upper and lower surfaces that are front and rear thickness portions of the unit RF filter body, the amplification element part comprising an LNA substrate part on which at least one analog amplification element is mounted; and   a filter connecting part provided on a rear surface portion of the unit RF filter body and electrically connected to the board assembly, and   wherein a male socket part, which is formed on the LNA substrate part, and the filter connecting part are simultaneously connected to a pin coupling part and a female socket part provided on the front surface of the board assembly when the unit RF filter body is fixed to the horizontal fixing bar by screw fastening.   
     
     
         13 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the antenna housing part further comprises four side housing panels respectively connected to front ends of the center heat sink panel, the upper heat sink panel, and the lower heat sink panel and configured to define external appearances of left and right side portions and upper and lower side portions of the antenna apparatus, and
 wherein the plurality of fixing members comprises a horizontal fixing bar having two opposite ends respectively fixed to inner surfaces of left and right housing panels configured to define an external appearance of a left portion and an external appearance of a right portion of the antenna apparatus among the four side housing panels.   
     
     
         14 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a radome panel coupled to the front surface of the antenna housing part to shield an opened front side of the antenna housing part,   wherein a plurality of support bosses is formed on a rear surface of the radome panel and extends and protrudes rearward to support a front end of the horizontal fixing bar.   
     
     
         15 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein a plurality of rear heat radiating fins is provided on rear surfaces of the center heat sink panel, the upper heat sink panel, and the lower heat sink panel to increase a heat radiation surface area of heat generated from the heating elements in the internal space, and
 wherein at least some of the plurality of rear heat radiating fins are separately manufactured and coupled to coupling heat sink ribs integrally formed on rear surface portions of the heat sink panels.   
     
     
         16 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the four side housing panels and the radome panel are made of the same material. 
     
     
         17 . The antenna apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of fixing members is supported by the plurality of support bosses of the radome panel in a state in which a buffer part made of a silicone rubber material is interposed between the plurality of fixing members and the rear surface of the radome panel.